Dr Marty Hinz amino acid protocol

[Elizab32]

Hi, has anyone tried amino acids for their restless leg syndrome? Or Dr. Hinz amino acid protocol?

I have my son on some of his suggestions already but not all (Eg l dopa), but I’m interested in the urine testing he does for this

Thanks!

[Dasymoo]

What is that

[Elizab32 in reply to Dasymoo]

You can google him. I don’t know the specific amino acid protocol for restless legs, however he basically finds some combo of seratonin, l dopa, l theanine and a few others to help neurotransmitters. He works with Parkinson’s disease patients as well

[Joolsg]

No I haven’t tried it so can’t help I’m afraid.

I was thinking about your son recently. Raffs has had great results following a vegan diet. Like your son, Raffs has had RLS since childhood.

It’s a really tough call though as children have to socialise with friends etc.

However, maybe there’s something in his diet that is a major trigger. Perhaps stop dairy for a week or two to see if there’s any change? Or red meat?

I really hope you can find a non med route to control his RLS.

[Elizab32 in reply to Joolsg]

Ok thanks! Meds havent worked for my son due to side effects and he’s already gluten, dairy, tree but, egg and sesame free due to allergies.

We’ve started doing jigsaw puzzles at night to increase his dopamine which appears to be helping. But as soon as he falls asleep he starts jerking around. Sometimes just legs, sometimes arms too.

Do you know if people are taking l dopa for this? I don’t know anything about it but it’s coming up in a lot of my searches.

[involuntarydancer in reply to Elizab32]

I think l dopa has been used for rls - as far as I can recall it is in the same family as the prescription dopamine agonists. I don't have my Clinical Management of RLS to hand but will check and post again. The idea of jigsaw puzzles is great. I find that doing an absorbing activity can cause symptoms to settle for up to two hours. It has to be very absorbing - for me it is computer chess. I would hesitate to recommend this for a child normally, but would you consider letting him play a computer game for a little before bed. I am not an advocate of computer games, especially for young children, but if it helped him get an hour or two free of jerking ...

I almost don't know whether to suggest this because of the significant cost involved (all my suggestions seem to be controversial here), but I did read of another family who found their child got considerable relief using a relaxis pad. If you haven't heard of it, it is a vibrating pad designed specifically for rls sufferers. You keep it in your bed and turn it on at bedtime (in fact I believe the latest advice is to use it when sitting down in the evening even before going to bed). The theory is that the vibrations provide a counter-stimulation and stop the rls in its tracks. To get one, you have to order it from the states, I think, although there was talk of a UK importer at one stage. You also require a prescription. I believe the company offers a one month full refund if it isn't effective so it might be worth looking into. The customer service is absolutely fantastic - incredibly supportive and proactive and I suspect they might be prepared to extend the money back period to account for the journey time to and from the UK (if you are in the UK).

By way of full disclosure, I have one which I imported myself. It ended up costing me over €1,000 because I got stung for import duty also. I find it at best moderately helpful. For some reason it is better when I go for naps during the day. It is quite soothing in the bed and I actually sometimes use it when I don't have symptoms to help me go to sleep. It is by no means reliable against the rls but there are some who are very pleased with the device.

Also regarding the vegan diet it did occur to me that you could try it at home. It doesn't have to be a hard and fast rule that he observes all the time. In fact if there are breaches it might indicate whether there are any food triggers. It is hard to think of the little fellow suffering from this ghastly condition. I hope you find some successful treatments.

I presume you have had his serum ferritin checked though I wouldn't have any idea what it should be for a child. Actually, I think there is a section about children with rls in Clinical Management - I will have a look when I find my copy.

[Elizab32 in reply to involuntarydancer]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and helpful response!

We are in the states. I will look into the relaxis pad. No one here has ever mentioned that to me.

His ferritin has ranged from 30 to 95 with no change in rls with iron supplements. I wish that was all it was for him. I find that he gets very revved at night, before going to bed. Like he’ll be sleepy all day, and at 7pm he becomes hyper active and starts running around the house getting sweaty. Do u know if that’s part of rls, ie to get hyper at night?

I am also always interested in if gut flora relates to this somehow, as he has food allergies too.

Thanks again! I truely appreciate your help and everyone else on this forum. It’s a wonderful group of people.

[Jumpey]

Yes I have tried GABA and 5HTP.They have helped with insomnia but don't address the symptoms of RLS.x

[Elizab32 in reply to Jumpey]

Ok thx.

[involuntarydancer]

The hyperactivity could be part of his rls but I do recall it being a feature of my childrens childhood and they did not have rls. Unfortunately they tended to become very lively at bedtime. Did you notice any improvement in it (the hyperactivity) when the RLS was in abeyance?

[Elizab32 in reply to involuntarydancer]

Hi. Yes. When he goes to bed calm and has spent quite a bit of time doing puzzles, the rls usually is there. However he can’t read in bed. He has to relax downstairs in a chair. It’s such a strange syndrome He does better if he snacks before bed, even though those snacks are triggers for other people Eg chocolate Or pretzels

Thanks for your help!!!!!!!!!

[involuntarydancer]

Wish I could be more help. I would say from my own experience that reading in bed is very difficult. For some reason, reading does not make it into the category of activities that are sufficiently diverting to lessen rls symptoms. RLS doesn't like readers.